Al-Arashi was born in Yemen, but grew up in the Buffalo area, where he graduated from the University at Buffalo with degrees in computer science and business administration, he told Arcara.

He operates several family-owned convenience stores in the area, Al-Arashi told the judge.

The Drug Enforcement Administration Office in Buffalo was tipped off by the DEA office in Los Angeles last year about a suspected shipment of synthetic marijuana bound for Western New York, U.S. Assistant Attorney Frank T. Pimentel said in court Wednesday.

The shipment was delivered to Town Tobacco, Al-Arashi’s store at 3407 Delaware Ave., Town of Tonawanda.

But law enforcement said the operation was much bigger than Town Tobacco or Al-Arashi’s other store, Welcome, Welcome, at 140 Main St., North Tonawanda.

Al-Arashi is accused of repackaging the synthetic marijuana at his Amherst warehouse then selling it across the state in brightly colored packages with such names as “Pump It,” “Tiger Shack” and “California Dreams.”

Daniels declined to comment outside the courtroom on Wednesday.

Al-Arashi already has agreed to forfeit nearly $300,000 from three accounts, as well as a 2012 Ford Tundra, Pimentel said.